Chewing gum usually consists of the combination of a chewing gum base with various fillers, flavoring agents and sweeteners which are added to impart desirable texture and taste to the gum. In the early history of this confectionery product, the chewing gum base employed was generally a naturally-occurring gum such as chicle to which were added other materials including gutta and various resins of natural origin. More recently, for a variety of economic reasons, including cost and dependable supply, the chewing gum bases employed have been modified to include varying amounts of materials of synthetic origin. Copolymers of styrene-butadiene and isobutylene-isoprene and polymers such as polyethylene, polyisobutylene and polyvinyl acetate have been employed. However, specially purified grades of synthetic polymers are required for preparing chewing gum base. Synthetic rubber manufacturers have had a dwindling interest in preparing food grade polymers since they represent only a very small fraction of the total synthetic polymers (rubber) production. While many alternate (natural) materials have been suggested from time to time, few, if any, meet all of the criteria which practical experience has shown are required to yield an acceptable chewing gum base, especially if a non-stick or non-tack character is desired. Hence, only very low levels of the naturally occurring rubbers could be utilized in nonstick formulations.